I must warn thee. I cannot guarantee all will find this story particularly refreshing. It's somewhat of an alternate universe, coupled with the actual Scandavian (and) Marvel ideologies. I told myself to cater for steady updating I was going to write the entire story and then publish at regular intervals. But that has fallen through and I simply prepare for the subsequent chapter. I'm trying for every Sunday at 6:00 a.m. (-4 GMT).

Please review. Readers often underestimate how much they are valued by the writers.

CHAPTER ONE:

FALLING STARS

"Then this is my life and maybe, however unlikely, I'll find my way back there. Or maybe, one day, I'll settle for second best. And on that same day, hell will freeze over, the sun will burn out and the stars will fall from the sky."

- Lemony Snicket

ASGARD

"Some of us are made for battle, others just do tricks," Thor whispered under his breath. Loki did not hear him, and neither, it seemed, did he want to. The Frost Giants' battle cry seemed like an obscure nightmare now, but one that remained delved in their memory. Loki appeared obviously shaken.

"You ran away from battle," the blond said directly to his brother who was standing opposite to him in the Bifröst. Loki could not ignore him now. Their blue eyes met, and something passed unspoken between them.

No son of Odin would run away from a battle.

"We were outnumbered Thor. Logic must've prevailed. Unless you would risk the lives of one of your friends...?" Loki stared at him skeptically. His brother would not have. It just wasn't who he was.

"The Jotuns violated our sanctity. They deserved to..."

"Die?" A short figure entered the room. His very presence exuded power, and neither Loki nor Thor had to meet his eyes to see the blaze of anger held within them. They had disobeyed a direct order... They had waged war on a fellow species with which they had a treaty... Father would not be pleased.

"Well, Thor. You seemed to be enlightening your brother on the concepts of war. Don't permit me to intrude."

Thor cast a nervous look in Loki's direction before saying, "We were careless with our defense. It is not the way of the Asgardians to anticipate attack, we must be proactive."

The silence that followed breathed discomfort into the room. Thor would say nothing else, and Loki was not one to speak his mind. Not that he wanted to at that time.

"Is that all?" Odin asked, eyes glittering in fierce anger.

"Yes Father," Loki replied quickly, earning him a surprised glance from the Allfather.

"My sons..." Odin began, his voice radiating authority, "I have not raised you to go seeking war. This is not the way of a King of Asgard. A true ruler knows that with power, comes responsibility. And with responsibility, comes a self-sacrificial love. For ALL. You both have been selfish." He looked at Thor who immediately raised his eyes defiantly to meet his father's. And then Odin turned to Loki, whose blush came as a deep magenta. Somehow the Allfather knew.

"You are not ready to accept your place on the throne on Asgard. Your mother was right. You are but children."

"I am no child!" Thor cried out.

"And neither I," Loki added softly.

"Your decisions prove otherwise."

Odin spoke quietly, but decisively. "I cannot allow you both to stay here lest you again threaten the safety of my people."

"Father..."

He raised a hand, cutting off their protests.

"I cast you both out. Until there comes a day when Asgard needs you. Or when you both are ready to reclaim your throne. This is my final word."

He pounded Gungnir on the marbled floor- the sound resounded. The brothers were all too familiar with the echo, signaling that the Bifröst was opening.

"I exile you both to Midgard... in the mortal bodies of the minds you possess."

"Father, I'm sorry," Loki said. Then, flashing a backward glance to Thor, "We both are."

He felt Thor's hand on his arm. "You cannot hope to change Father's mind, Brother. We might as well leave Asgard with our dignity."

Odin had turned away from them as they were relieved of their armour. "Be strong, my sons," he whispered as the Bifröst began building its energy. Lightning sparked near the ceiling, casting the white light throughout the room. When Odin turned around, his sons were gone. All left was a hammer, on the spot where Thor had once been.

MIDGARD

The fall would not have hurt as badly had Thor not collapsed on top of him. Loki groaned lightly, shoving his brother off, none too gently.

"That didn't hurt as badly as I thought it would," Thor said beside him, his voice clipping slightly.

"That's because you landed on me, you blond oaf," Loki hissed, attempting to stand. But his right hand was unable to support his weight, and flopped onto the sandy earth with dead weight.

"My arm…" he said urgently to his brother.

Thor stood, dusting off his clothes. "Blond oaf, brother?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

Loki took a deep breath, taking in the desert sand. "My apologies for my discourtesy, but this pain… is agonizing. You must forgive me."

"I already have," he let out a soft chuckle. "I see now why combat was never your strong suit. One fall, and you fracture a limb."

"This body is mortal," Loki pointed out, then heard Thor gasp.

"Father kidded us not," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"This body… this mortal body. I seem almost adolescent."

"We passed those years centuries ago, Thor. It simply cannot be."

"The Allfather had said… I exile you both to Midgard... in the mortal bodies of the minds you posses… Did he mean…?"

Loki rolled over, with a speculative glare. For a brief moment, his eyes betrayed his surprise, but it was gone as soon as it came. "Are you content with just standing there? Help me up."

Thor heaved his brother other his shoulder. "You're much lighter."

"And you're much shorter."

"You seem more fragile."

"YOU seem more fragile," delivering a solid blow to his arm.

But if Thor had ever felt it, he made no motion of having done so. He paused. "We can't do this for all these dark hours, Loki. We're on Midgard, right?"

"Yes." And Thor heard a resigned sigh to it.

"Why do I get the feeling you find no pleasure being here?" he asked his raven-haired sibling.

"Because I don't," Loki replied curtly. "I never wished to be banished."

"And neither did I. But we cannot hope to seek redemption if we stay in the middle of this dry…" Thor looked around. "Arid area, devoid of what seems, any moisture."

"A desert, Thor," Loki pointed out.

"That."

"Where do you think we are? And don't say Midgard."

"Earth… in a desert."

"You ARE infuriating."

"I have just as much an idea as you do," Thor said with a shrug, making his brother uncomfortable.

"Probably less," Loki pointed out.

"Brother, you are on my shoulder, nursing a wound. It would do you well not to arouse my ire."

"You will not leave me here. I know you wouldn't."

"Unfortunately," Thor whispered, trudging through the shrub. They traveled in silence for a couple minutes, the only sound that permeated the air was that of some chirping creature. But they sounded relatively small, and Thor was not unduly worried.

There seemed to be lights on the horizon. A civilization of sorts. "Ever met a human, Loki?" he asked.

But Loki didn't answer. It seemed, he had already fallen asleep.

No sense of adventure, this one. Thor said in his mind.

MIDGARD

One simply did not stroll into a town at twilight and find the place almost deserted. But perhaps moreso, one simply did not manage his way to the town centre, with a practically unconscious brother on his back and find two elderly people casually walking up to meet him, without the authorities in tow.

Forgive him for being suspicious.

"Is the boy alright?" the woman asked, flashing Thor a concerned motherly grimace.

"I don't believe I've made your acquaintance…" the blond pointed out.

He noticed the glance that the couple attempted to discreetly exchange, but he chose to ignore it, rather focusing on their appearance.

Small, thin, wispy white hair. It seemed to the Asgardian, even if hampered by his brother's weight, he could easily overpower them. Albeit his body seemed like sixteen Earth years old.

"This is our duty," the man replied. "No we've never met, but it's our job to look after the children that find themselves here."

"We're not children," Thor said.

They smiled. It seemed like something they'd heard too many times before. "Of course, dear. But please trust us."

Against his better judgment, Thor decided to comply. After all, he had a lot more to gain than to lose in his situation.

"Might you tell me where we are?"

"Scuto," the woman replied, giving him a smile. "It's not as crowded as most areas, but we call it home."

Thor felt tempted to say something, but he didn't.

"There are a lot of children here too… Your friend and you would fit right in."

"He's my brother," Thor corrected her.

"That's sweet. How you both stick together."

"The matter was out of our hands," Thor sighed, and in a small voice, "But I feel honored to have him at my side."

"That's wonderful, sonny. And even better, you both might even be in the same class tomorrow."

"Class?" Thor said, confused and stunned in the same breath.

"School. It's compulsory, no matter if you've just arrived."

School was a foreign concept to the Asgardian. Being the princes of the Kingdom, tutors were at their beck and call, though in Thor's case, classes were very selective.

"I'm not sure…"

"Sonny. It's compulsory. Else the Director would be paying a special house call. And that's never pretty."

Thor took a gulp.

"Can't wait," he said weakly.